.jpg "Camille N. Johnson Concludes Ministry in Southeast Idaho")
Relief Society General President Camille N. Johnson concluded a three-day ministry across Southeastern Idaho on September 25 and 26, 2026, visiting volunteer-run foster care resource centers, food pantries, and humanitarian hubs in Blackfoot and Idaho Falls.
Support Centers and Foster Care Resources in Blackfoot
During her stop in Blackfoot on Friday, September 25, 2026, President Johnson toured The Village, a volunteer-run foster care resource center, accompanied by her husband, Doug. Jacque Burt, director of The Village, explained to Johnson that the center aims to replace the garbage bags children often carry when entering foster care with donated suitcases filled with essentials. The Village previously participated in the Church’s Light the World Giving Machine initiative.
“These kids come to us with a garbage bag, and sometimes that’s all they have left,” Burt said. “We want them to walk out with a suitcase.”
Adjacent to the foster resource center, President Johnson visited the Blackfoot Community Food Pantry. The site operates in connection with the Community Dinner Table, an interfaith effort launched in 2008 by founders Ron Thompson and Lee Hammett to feed local residents. Gene Balsmeier, vice president of the Community Dinner Table, presented Johnson with a handcrafted cutting board during her visit.
Devotional Address to Southeastern Idaho Women
On Friday evening, President Johnson spoke to a gathering of more than 1,800 women in Blackfoot. Discussing how divine love operates in daily life, she emphasized that assistance often arrives through human interaction.
“Typically, the way Their love is expressed is through someone else,” Johnson told the attendees, referring to Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. “They’ve never shown up on my doorstep, but the Savior sent one of my Relief Society sisters when I needed someone.”
She encouraged the congregation to look for everyday acts of service, describing them as “a little kiss from heaven.”
Return to Southeastern Idaho Roots
President Johnson oversees a global organization comprising more than 8 million women. Her visit carried personal significance, as she was born in Pocatello, Idaho. Her father was born in Malta, Idaho, her mother attended Rigby High School, and her parents met at Idaho State University.
“I’m so happy to be here,” Johnson said in Blackfoot, “to feel like I’ve come home to my Idaho roots.” In Idaho Falls, she added, “I’m a fellow tenacious Idaho woman.”
On Saturday morning, September 26, 2026, Johnson toured the Idaho Falls Area Humanitarian Center, a nonprofit, non-denominational organization operating since 2010 under directors Mozelle and Don Neville.